APS and myself have chosen representatives from our respective areas. I being a native of Philadelphia for the past six years and APS being a dirty canuck. All beer choices had to be bottled (so that they at least have a chance of international distribution and aren't just brewery favorites..

APS's Grand Canadian Beer Team

Labatt Blue

Quote:

Presentation: 11.5oz brown twist-off cap bottle. No freshness date.

Appearance: A very clear, extremly pale yellow beer that pours a thick, patchy, pure white head that trails down the glass and eventually settles to a creamy lace.

Smell: Some corn, light esters and faint grain in the aroma. Fairly clean and uneventful.

Taste: Watery, near flat -- low carbonation initially. Tastes like a beer that has been left out overnight. Mouthfeel is rather creamy and smooth, body is thin, light. There's little malt flavour, except for faint dextrins. You can taste adjuncts (rice, corn, maybe both?) and what little sweetness they lend, followed by a quick bitter twang. The beer goes tea-like in flavour with a slight "skunk" character in the back, sulfur, metallic and light herbal flavours. Finish is slightly dry.

Notes: Water anyone? For those of you that appreciate hardly any flavour, body, aroma or beers that you can suck down just like water ... here you go! Seriously, this beer is a great alternative to BudMillerCoors anyday. Not as clean as these other big boys, but it's different. So, if those are the sort of beers that you are into, why not make a switch to Labatt Blue for a change.

Serving type: bottle

Molson Canadian Lager

Quote:

Presentation: 24 oz tall boy (can), with no freshness date. Boasts Canadian brewed and states that they are the oldest brewery in North America.

Appearance: Bright yellow hue with a tint of orange, lace sticks in the beginning.

Smell: Clean grainy aroma, faint cooked corn as well.

Taste: Wide lager crispness, ample carbonation with a light to moderate body. Clean grain with some husk on the side and a faint astringent quality to it. Hops are light with a flash of bitterness, then it is back to the light grainy sweetness that dons a touch of adjunct cooked veggie flavour. The graininess is quite refreshing and seems to be the forefront of flavour. Finishes clean and dry with soft malt in the back.

Notes: Better than Bud, Miller or Coors. Nothing spectacular though it is an all around good lager that quenches the thirst. A definite brew to pair with pepperoni pizza.

Serving type: can

Reviewed on: 10-11-2002 19:33:39 | id: 28342

Moosehead Lager

Quote:

Presentation: 12 oz green bottle with no freshness date. Blurb about the brewery and a bit of history on the back label.

Smell: Fresh milled grain and the sweetness of a malted barley mash as well as clean boiled hops come to mind, pretty much what an American lager should smell like.

Taste: Crisp medium carbonation with a moderate malty body and a smooth and inviting mouth feel. Malt is straight up one sided which is goes well with this beers disposition, clean on the palate … almost immaculate. Hops are sharp and to the point with their quick in and out bitterness. Fresh drying grain pulls any sweetness away from the tongue and puckers the mouth into a clean after taste of little residual.

Notes: A clean and quick to drink lager, better than its US counterpart while leaving a touch more quality without taking away from the swift drinkability of most American lagers.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 03-23-2002 05:57:25 | id: 9314

Konkanee Beer

Quote:

Poured a 473-ml can into a tall draught glass.

Appearance - a straw yellow colour with a decent head at the beginning, leaving a little lace after it disappeared.

Smell - corn and grass. Not much going on here.

Taste - a light, sweet flavour with mild malt tones. Very little to savour as it rapidly fades out.

Mouthfeel - smooth enough with medium carbonation. Can't make up for the lack of taste.

Drinkability - bottom line: boring. Another off-the-shelf mass-produced beer, there are many better.

Serving type: can

Reviewed on: 03-17-2009 01:07:30 | id: 872747

Alexander Keith's IPA

Quote:

Presentation: 12oz brown twisty, with a red stag head on the label. "Union Made", do they have a brewer's union in Nova Scotia? Manni says that a while back, the beer was called "Stag Ale" (or something similar).

Appearance: This is as clear and pale as a beer can get, without being called Zima. I've never seen a beer this clear.

Smell: Clean with a very faint hop aroma. Hints of steamed corn, a sign of (DMS; dimethyl sulfide).

Taste: A refreshing mouth-feel, similar to a lager yet different enough not to be. Corn flavours are dominant, with thin hop bitterness. Leaves your mouth sharp, and a bit dry, afterwards.

Notes: Not sure how true to the IPA style this is, but it is a nice light ale with an 5% abv. Good hot day beer, as it is extremely refreshing and one could easily toss back many of these without getting bloated.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 04-16-1998 00:00:01 | id: 29627

Quidi Vidi 1892 Traditional Ale

Quote:

Really more of a historic, North American pale ale.

This use to be available at the LCBO, but their shipping costs were too high, so they pulled out. It's still available in Alberta... if that gives you some perspective.

They import Slovakian hops for this one.

A: Clear copper-bronze, off-white head, no retention or lacing.

S: Apple juice with a slight earthy-metallic aroma.

T: Earthy-orange, biscuity malt, peppery spice, balanced bitterness.

M: Light to moderate body, really well-attenuated, dry finish.

D: A decent drinker.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 07-25-2008 02:00:39 | id: 712964

Sleeman Honey Brown Lager

Quote:

Presentation: 12oz clear glass bottle, not to worry the six-pack holder was a cardboard box as to not let the light in.

M-Smooth, clean, very crisp, milky, and sweet. The malt and hops are very well balanced and the mouthfeel is very enjoyable and refreshing.

D-I wished that this brew would make it to the USA someday. Whenever I go to Toronto this is the beer I order the most and I always return with a 6 pack. The brew has great flavor and mouthfeel. This brew never lets me down and is recommended to every American who travels to Canada.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 08-25-2007 03:19:59 | id: 540595

Broth's Brotherly Love Beer Team

Yuengling Traditional Lager

Quote:

Presentation: 12oz green bottle with the coolest old school US beer label on the planet. No freshness date, but there is a batch code ... where's my Yuengling Decoder Ring?

Taste: Smooth. The beer's tight carbonation tingles the palate and creams things up the mouthfeel. A thin malt sweetness with a soft fruity character balances well with a flash of sharp limey, citrus-like hop bitterness. Crisp, dry with a hop leaf feel hiding in the dryness. Touch of salt, mineral, metallic and sulfur flavours. Finish is dry with light grain husk tannins.

Notes: A very basic, old-school lager. Simple, sturdy and tasty ...

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 09-15-2002 13:46:53 | id: 25172

Dock Street Amber Ale

Quote:

Dock Street "Philadelphia Brand" Amber Beer pours a clear deep-amber body with an orange cast and orange and gold highliights. The frothy off-white head holds very well, continually maintaining a solid surface covering, and leaves some nice rings and partial walls of craggy lace in its wake.

The aroma is citrusy and grassy over a delicate caramelish malt base.

The body is delicately crisp across the palate with a medium body and a median carbonation.

The flavor starts hoppy... citrusy with cascades. It quickly show some light maltiness, however. It's caramelish but delicate, and there's just enough character there to keep it interesting. The maltiness reaches its peak at mid-palate, and then the hops return just as the bitterness kicks in. It's nicely balanced, and the brisk bitterness turns it back around, leading to a gently hoppy, mildly citrusy and grassy, dry finish.

Overall, this incarnation of the brand represents a pretty decent American pale ale. It's not as malty as it once was, and I'd question the "amber" ale designation, but that's what they've called it. Regardless, it's very well done, and a pretty accessible beer.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 02-28-2007 22:08:10 | id: 470656

Philadelphia Brewing Co's Walt Wit

Quote:

Walt Wit pours out a hazy yellow topped by a decent white head. This is darker than true Belgian whites, but the head sits firmly and stays put for a good long while. Tight head and active carbonation.

There is a beautiful and delicate bouquet. Smells just like grapefruit and chamomile. Notes of lemon drops. No hop aroma.

I have mixed feelings about the taste. Up front, it is pretty similar to the aroma. Grapefruit citrus and subtle spices mix with eachother in a wonderful way, but towards the swallow, the beer loses this delicate nature and becomes a bready, malt-forward beer that doesn't have as much finesse. The flavor is light and subtly spiced. The soft chamomile flavor in the aftertaste is quite pleasant. Still, this remains too malty at the end.

Medium bodied, fat carbonation. I think it could use finer carbonation, or more spritzy. The body of the beer is alright, but it might not be yeasty/grainy enough for my taste. A little too clean in the mouthfeel here.

The drinkability is quite good here, since the ABV is low at 4.2%, and the beer is interesting enough to no get bored with it quickly. I'm not sure that I would buy a case, but I know that I like it a lot more than some of the other American interpretations of the Belgian witbier.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 04-30-2009 20:41:38 | id: 904986

Troegs Dead Reckoning Porter

Quote:

Troeg's Dead Reckoning Porter pours a black body with ruby highlights beneath a full head of frothy dark tan foam that holds well and leaves beautiful lace about the glass.

The nose is fresh, clean, and bright, expressing dark chocolate and pine needles as well as some cold black coffee in the background.

In the mouth it's medium-light in body and crisp with a standard carbonation level.

The flavor is as the nose suggests, with piney hops livening the median roast and darkly chocolatey notes of the malt. Some citrusy notes are apparent as well, and it's also a touch floral - nicely hoppy! It's well-balanced by a brisk bitterness, and it finishes dry with lingering notes of chocolate, coffee, and almost-minty spruce and pine.

Although it's fairly straight-forward, it does have a great deal of depth (if not complexity); and, after all, isn't that what we're looking for in a standard porter? It's accessible, and quite drinkable, at least in part due to the refreshing nature of the pine-like hop character.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 03-01-2009 21:19:19 | id: 861571

Yards Philadelphia Pale Ale

Quote:

Poured from a bottle into lightly chilled mug.

Appearance: Light gold clear color with thick fluffy white head that persists and leaves light lacing on sides of glass.

Taste: The flavor is well balanced and complex with mild citrus hop bite with no real harshness at all. The hop is followed by pale sweet malt flavor. The overall flavor sneaks up on you rather than clubs you over the head.

Drinkability: Each one of these leaves you disappointed that it is finished and wanting more. A beer that is too drinkable for my own good. Clearly moving the brewery to its new location has done this beer no harm.

I agree. I don't see the hype over Canadian beer ( if there is any outside of this forum?). I'm sure they have some good micros around but I've never tried anything Canadian that really impressed me around here. I think I would actually vote Canada as one of the lesser quality beer producing countries.

I would be very interested to try that IPA from Nova Scotia however. A good IPA could sway my opinion any day.

__________________
What do the vikings and marijuana have in common? Every time you put them in a bowl
they get smoked.

I agree. I don't see the hype over Canadian beer. I'm sure they have some good micros around but I've never tried anything that really impressed me around here. I think I would actually vote Canada as one of the lesser quality beer producing countries.

I would be very interested to try that IPA from Nova Scotia however. A good IPA could sway my opinion any day.

Unfortunately for us state-siders, only available in Canada. It's my favourite

Also Broth, where did you get these quotes? Obviously biased. And to see three mass produced beers on the Canadian side as opposed to a team of mostly craft beer on the PA side. Come on now, make this a fair fight

Unfortunately for us state-siders, only available in Canada. It's my favourite

Also Broth, where did you get these quotes? Obviously biased. And to see three mass produced beers on the Canadian side as opposed to a team of mostly craft beer on the PA side. Come on now, make this a fair fight

Quotes are from Beer Advocates.com editor's comments when available. When not available I took a user's review but only if it was on the average of the whole users grades (I didn't cherry pick my reviews)

I asked APS what the best Canadian Beer was this is what I was given.
Yards isn't a macro brew but it does have a wide distribution radius. Yuengling is defiantly a mass produced. Agreed that the other three are local craft brews with limited distribution radius.

__________________
Stafford Sig by touchdownrams the rest of the sig by Sig Master Bone Krusher Avy by King of all avys renji

My team is the bomb. I didnt pick obscure Canadian beers, like Steamwhistle, which is better then some of the beers on my list, because I didnt think anyone would have tried them. I am not a big Sleeman fan, so I left it off, but I can see why people would want it on there and the argument can certainly be made.

I made the list off the top of my head randomly in IRC. Export was my next choice though. Mmm now I want beer.

Canada wins!

__________________

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Goosemahn

The APS is strong in this one.

Quote:

Originally Posted by killxswitch

Tears for Fears is better than whatever it is you happen to be thinking about right now.

Hard to have a beer debate over the internet when you're using mostly micro brews as the subjects.

I find the bigger more mass produced Canadian beers to be better than their American counterparts ie Labatt/Molson to Budweiser/Miller(and especially the Milwaukee companies). Even though I believe Budweiser is actually owned by Germans now, is it not.